We loved them on hit shows like Drake & Josh, iCarly and Zoey 101, portraying some of our favorite characters, but we might love them even more in their new era of parenthood. Stars like Jamie Lynn Spears, Melissa Joan Hart and Drake Bell have welcomed their own children and it’s as adorable as it gets! See which of your favorite ‘90s and 2000s Nickelodeon stars are now moms and dads!
1. Drake Bell: a teen rebel turned dedicated dad
The Drake & Josh alum has officially entered his dad era. Portraying a rebellious teen on the Nickelodeon show, Drake Bell is now father to son Jeremy, whom he shares with ex-wife Janet Von Schmeling. Bell has even credited the now 3-year-old for being the reason he opened up about his past as a victim of child abuse.
“As he grows, my hope is that he’ll be able to say, ‘My dad did go through that. And the man that I know today is a hero to me,’” Bell said.
2. Josh Peck: From Nickelodeon star to proud father of two
Just like his on-screen brother, Josh Peck, is a father, having welcomed two children into the world. The Drake & Josh star has two sons with his wife Paige O’Brien: Max Milo Peck, born in 2018, and Shai Miller Peck, born in 2022.
“Until you have a child, hopefully, you meet someone great, and you grow together and you become a little less selfish, but I never thought I would quite be able to have the level of love and joy [of] putting someone before me,” Peck said of his children.
3. Jamie Lynn Spears: ‘Zoey 101’ young star and mom of two
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She was just a kid herself when she starred in Zoey 101, but now the actress has kids of her own! Jamie Lynn Spears, sister of pop star Britney Spears, has welcomed two children: Maddie, born in 2008, and Ivey, born in 2018. Spears had Maddie with then-fiancé Casey Aldridge and Ivey with current husband Jamie Watson.
Although the Nickelodeon series ran from 2005 to 2008, Spears’ first pregnancy was the reason for its end. She shared in an interview how scared she felt finding out she was pregnant at age 16.
“My biggest concern was, ‘Oh my goodness, I need to tell my mother and father and my family,’” Spears said. “I was on a Nickelodeon show, so I felt responsible for what these young girls were gonna think looking up to me. I put myself in an adult situation, so I needed to handle it like an adult.”
But her age never stopped her from being a good mother. “I quickly learned that being a good and competent mother has nothing to do with age,” Spears shared. “I have met some of the most wonderful, amazing moms who are anywhere from 20 years old to 50 years old, so young or old, love is all it’s really about.”
4. Melissa Joan Hart: From Clarissa to mom of three teen boys
She was the star of her own Nickelodeon series in 1991, Clarissa Explains It All, before scoring her major series Sabrina the Teenage Witch. But the former teen star now has three teenagers of her own. Hart is mother to sons Mason, 18, Braydon, 16, and Tucker, 12.
“Of course, when you have children, you want to give them everything,” Hart shared. “For lack of a better word, you want to spoil [them]… If you just show your kids love, I’ve come to this conclusion, it starts with that.”
5. Nathan Kress: ‘iCarly’ star raising three kids
The iCarly actor, Nathan Kress, has welcomed three children with his wife London: daughter Rosie Carolyn, born in 2017, daughter Evie Elise, born in 2021, and son Lincoln William in 2023.
“For this phase of life, there’s an incredible amount of investment that’s required to raise well-rounded, loving, kind children with character and integrity,” Kress explained.
6. Emma Roberts: from ‘Unfabulous’ to full-time mom
She starred in the series Unfabulous from 2004 to 2007 and now she’s a mother! Emma Roberts is a proud mom of son Rhodes, whom she shares with ex Garrett Hedlund.
“Being a mom is a full-time job, so I see how for women who have full-time jobs and [are] full-time moms, it’s so hard, and I have so much respect for them
7. Carlos PenaVega: ‘Big Time Rush’ star with a big family
As one-fourth of the Big Time Rush band members and stars of the Nickelodeon series, Carlos PenaVega was the first of the crew to have children. The actor and his wife, Alexa PenaVega, have welcomed three children: son Ocean, born in 2016, son Kingston, born in 2019, and daughter Rio born in 2021. The couple was also expecting a fourth child, daughter Indy, but she sadly was stillborn.
“There are never the right words to say when it comes to loss. After a beautiful and peaceful delivery, our daughter ‘Indy’ was born at rest,” the couple wrote in a statement. “It has been a painful journey. But in pain we have found peace.”
8. Kendall Schmidt: a new dad from ‘Big Time Rush’
Another Big Time Rush star has welcomed a child. Kendall Schmidt’s first daughter, Maple, whom he shares with his wife Mica von Turkovich, was born earlier this year in March 2024. Schmidt met his wife back in 2012 at a Big Time Rush concert, but the two were just friends. They got engaged in 2022 and married a year later.
